A new perspective on multi-cloud operations: combining AWS Global and ESC
The discussion about digital sovereignty does not only affect organizations in the public sector or companies in regulated industries. Across all industries, decision-makers are being tasked with ensuring existing processes with sovereignty in mind. At the same time, IT managers in companies are faced with a recurring, very pragmatic task: How can cloud infrastructure be operated in a more resilient and economical way?
This is precisely where a different view of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud (ESC) emerges—one that goes beyond the usual sovereignty debates and opens up real efficiency potential: the combination of AWS Global and the ESC as a strategic approach.
Multi-cloud without added value?
In the current context, many companies are considering traditional multi-cloud approaches. On paper, this seems to be a pragmatic solution for meeting sovereignty requirements: reduced risk of vendor lock-in, use of best-of-breed services, higher reliability, and redundancy. In reality, it frequently leads to fragmentation of operating models.
“When companies consider multi-cloud, they often only see the additional provider – but not the effort behind it. Different toolchains, separate security models, duplicate operating processes, and the high costs of vendor-specialized operating teams quickly eat away at the supposed advantages. Multi-cloud can make sense, but not at the expense of speed, efficiency, and operational reliability”, Karsten Quellec, CTO at PROTOS.
The alternative: a multi-cloud approach that maintains efficiency
Companies are therefore looking for a structure that meets their requirements without having to build a second, completely separate cloud world. This is exactly where the combination of AWS Global and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud (ESC) comes in: two cloud environments that are closely linked technologically – but operate completely independently of each other as isolated partitions.
The ESC is therefore not simply another hyperscaler in the portfolio that forces additional operating models. Rather, it is a second incarnation of the same AWS world, operated under different conditions – but with familiar services, APIs, operating models, and security mechanisms.
Key features of both worlds
• Identical APIs and services – no additional toolchain, no new development
• Independent operation of the ESC ensures that operational disruptions in the global partition do not cause domino effects and vice versa
• Independent operation of the ESC within the EU by AWS employees residing in the EU
• Strong technical controls and sovereign protection mechanisms
• Sovereignty and residency requirements can be addressed without platform breaks
Less effort, more impact – real added value in everyday life
Faster day-to-day business
Since AWS Global and AWS ESC share the same interfaces, tools, and processes, day-to-day operations are significantly accelerated. Teams continue to work with familiar pipelines, IAM models, and deployment structures – just in a different partition. The elimination of parallel workflows leads to less friction, fewer waiting times, and a more stable operational speed.
Clearer control, better decisions
Planning becomes easier at the management level: roadmaps, budgets, risk analyses, and compliance considerations can be carried out consistently across both environments. Instead of coordinating multiple ecosystems, companies maintain a clear line – and thus gain agility at the quarterly level.
Security that remains consistent
Because there is no need to set up a second, heterogeneous cloud landscape, duplicate operating and training costs are eliminated. Companies can continue to leverage their existing AWS expertise while benefiting from sovereign operating structures within the EU. The result: a sovereign multi-cloud architecture without the typical multi-costs.
Security that remains consistent
The shared architectural philosophy of both AWS worlds prevents security-critical transitions or gaps between systems. While AWS Global continues to offer maximum scalability and speed of innovation, AWS ESC complements this with sovereign protection mechanisms for customers with specific requirements for control and data residency. This creates a security framework that remains consistent, regardless of the area of application.
A sovereign future – without operational complexity
The combination of AWS Global and AWS European Sovereign Cloud enables companies to combine modern cloud innovation with sovereign operating models – without building up the complexity of classic multi-cloud structures that force them into technically or economically inefficient parallel worlds.
This gives companies the following advantages:
• Greater sovereignty without losing innovation
• more control without operational complexity
• more efficiency without duplicate platforms
• a future-proof architecture that combines stability and flexibility
For organizations planning their next steps toward a sovereign cloud landscape, this is an approach that combines technological freedom with true cost-effectiveness – and forms the basis for future-proof modernization in the long term.
